Buoy.



W. A. CURL-EY.

BUOY.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26, 191e` IIeeeIeeI Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

nu: Nomen nm -ibb TE STATES PAT L WILLIAM Ansus ooiannv,` or wasHINGroI-I, DISTRICT THE GOVERNMENT or THE UNITED OF COLUMBIA, ASSIIGn'IOl',i` TO STATES.

BUOY..

Application led April 26, 1918. Serial No. 230,993.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ANGUs COR- LEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Buoys, of which the following is a specification. i

This device relateslto buoys, and more particularly to that type of buoys adapted for submerged use.

One of the objects of this invention, therefore, concerns a durable and reliable buoy particularly adapted for submerged use.Y A

analysis of this invention.4

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of parts and in the unique relations of the members and in the relative proportionin and disposition thereof; all as more comp etely outlined herein.` f y To enable others skilled in the art so fully to comprehend the underlyin features thereof that they mayembody t e same by the numerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by this invention, drawings depicting a preferred form have lbeen annexed as a part of this disclosure, and `in such drawings, like characters of reference denote corresponding `parts throughout all the views, of which Figure l shows a top plan view of my device, and Fig. 2 is aside view partly in section.

Buoys as heretofore used for submerged work have generally beenof either hollow thin metal construction, or else made of wood or cork.` The former was open to the disadvantage that floatingl wreckage, ice, etc.,

"would frequently puncture the buoy-sothat it would ll `up and sink. Thepordinary buoys of wood or cork, as heretofore generally used, after being submerged for acertain period of time wouldbeeome water- Specication of Letters Patent.

`1n the cust-omai the like, 26, passing through an opening in Patented Feb.. 16,' 1919.

logged and lose a largepart of their buoyancy effect. To `overcome these disadvani tages, I have devised a buoy made up of a multiple of segments separated from each other by water-proofing means and protected by a suitable outer water-prooino` coating. In use, should the outer water-proofing coating be punctured and any one of thesesections become water-logged, the other sections `would not be aifected thereby, and the buoyancy effect of the entire buoy would not be greatly diminished.

The buoy 5 is preferably composed of a plurality of separate buoyant elements, or

.sections 6, which, When assembled, form a buoyant body. These elements are made up ofany suitable light material that possesses a very high buoyant effect; balsa wood, for example, being` very suitable for this purpose. In the buoy shown in the drawings, I have used six of such sections, but a greater or lesser number may be used as desired.

The buoyant sections are preferably formed -of a plurality of segments 8, 9, and l10, as best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, such segments being secured together by means of dowels 12. Each section may be water- -proofed, as desired.

The separate buoyant sections composing the buoy are held together by any suitable means,'such as a bolt 13 passing through each section and threaded at its ends. At `each Aend of the buoy `I provide suitable assembling lmeans comprising disks or other suitably shaped members 14 and 15 made of some.

relatively hard material, "as, for example, metal or hardwood, washer 16, nut 17, and

locking nut 19, which locking nut after being threaded on the bolt is further secured mannerby a cotter pin, or

the bolt and engaging slots in the outer face of the locking nut. Preferably disks 14 and 15 of hard wood are used and in suchcase I 'prefer that the grain of the blocksshould run Vat right angles to each other to prevent `warping` thereof. To provide meansfor attaching the buoy to some other object, angle iron, hook or eye, or other attaching means 18 is secured at one or both endsof the buoy, between the washer 16 and nut 17.

In order to particularly adapt the-buoy forsubmerged use, suitable water-prooling means are desirable. For this' purpose I provide layers ofwater-proof cloth QObe-Ii "Ica tween eachof the sections 6, which Waterproof lcloth is then covered with some suitablei water-proofcement 21,y for which purpose a tar or pitch composition will, for-example, be found suitable. Y Such waterproofing means is also applied between the outer sections and memberslll, as well as between members14fand'I 15. The outer sur faces of section 6 and disksll are also profl tected by successive layers of water-proof cloth andy water-prooi4 cement so as to form ai completeVr Water-proofbasing 22". forV the lar gnoove Qk is provided in each ofA the disks: 14' so thatgthe wire when tensioned Will'fit'ftigjitlyparound and in suclr grooves.

To insure that no water may seep` along theibolt and;- afliect: thebuoyanc-y of the sectionsicomprosing the buoy, I havev provided ai suitablev packing 25, such as asbestos coinposit1on, to surround the' bolt at various points, preferably;A at the juncture iofi. the

vainious :elements of thev buoy. Thus itfmay be seen that by reason, of: the packing between/each: of .the sections, such sections-are v effectivelyv isolated-from eachother, so water reaehingranyf oneY sectionl by puncture of VVtheouter casinggcan not pass on into another' Vsejction.. Y v n Ingrassembling the buoy, the nut 17; and

locking nut'1g9 'are-irst applied to onev end Oifther'bolt.5 Attaching means. -18 are next 'ittedgon: theibolt, and 'washenl and hard wood: disk- 15- then applied, hardi Wood disk 15.5; having; been previously treated by someV suitablecomposition toy protect ita-from the detenioratngf effect, Qfavateiu, Segments S, 49,

anld-10;,\ composingffthe varioussections of the-,buoyg have' also beenY previously treated by.v some; suitable means to f render them more onless -Waten-proofas for example,- by boil- Y ing :in paraflin, .and .are then doweledf togather,Y and coaitedf` on the outside with a layerf'of-.Waten-proof' cement.Y A layer of l olnthiis then-i applied overthe-layer of water- VLOfv lis appliedion toprofnthat. Each; offthe sucpmoficementuand another: layer of cement eessivef elements-A area then fitted on* the bolt,

4disk-,14, and then the succeeding sections 6 following oneafter Vthe other,y the packing.. 2a; having in regular] orden been '1nsertedbetween the junctures of the various elements. After all of the elements have been assembled, the-buoy is placedina press and* highly compressed, after which the opposite Washer 16, angle iron 18, nut 17, and locking nut 19 are applied, and the separate elements thus secured together. The outer coating, or water-proof casing 22, is now to be laid. on, which is done by applying successive layers of water-proof cement and cloth to the surface. of `the buoyant sections. Securing'wire 23 is then attached at either vend ofthe buoy to fasten the outer easing 22 at such: points, after` which `a further coating offwater-prooficement is applied, and the'buoyisnow ready for service.

In operation the buoy may be either used as: a ioat buoy, in which casev only one attachingf'means need be used or 1t may be used, for example, in sustaining one of: the coimnunicatingl chains 1n' a mine vlield, which Vuse;would;necessarily maintain it iny a submerged position. Water pressure against the outer surfacelof the buoy would have no effect, aseachf of the buoyancy. elements are `protected by Water-proofing meansand such water cannot reachthel sections, norI effect their buoyancy. Should, however, drifting timbervr or ice punctureithe outer. casing: 22 at any point and Water reach that particular section 6 of the buoy, the water-proofing solution previously applied tothe section would prevent to aA large degree any deterioration of such sectionA and any amount ofi water which might be taken up by that particular section: Would not reach any adjacent section, soiwould not materially alter the-buoyancy effect of the entirer buoy. At stated intervals the buoys; may be` taken up and examined, and any particular sections Whiclt have; Abecome affectedby exposure to the water through the punctur-ing of the outer casing22 may bereplaced' by other sections, themajorpart of the buoy being retained for use overagain.

It must beA understood that where desired thebuoy-may be formed of a singlelbuoyant section 6, but in all other ways similar to the'buoy beforedescribed, in which case I will still obtain a buoyvsatisfactory for many purposes: and possessing the yadvantages of certain features of thisinvention.

It maythus be seen that, the buoyr will not 'becomewater-logged, nor takeupwater in its normal use and can be depended Aupon to;Y retainv under vworking` conditions' an' almost;A uniformbuoyancy eect over long periods of( time Without further analysis, the foregoing will so` fully reveal thegist of'th-is invention that otherszoan by applying current knowledge readily adapt; itk for various applications without-.omitting certain featuresthat,

Vf-rointhe standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristicsr of. the.,

generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the tollowing claims.

I claim as follows:

1.. In a device of the character described, in combination, a plurality of buoyant sections, water-proofing means for separating said sections, an outer water-proofing covering for said buoyant sections, means for securing said sections together and a waterproofing packing surrounding said last named means at different points.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, `a plurality of buoyancy sections, waiter-proong means for isolating said sections from each other, a waterproofing covering for the outside of said buoyancy sections, said water-proofing comprising alternate layers of water-prooi| cloth and water-proof cement, a bolt passing through said buoyancy sections for securing them together, and water-proong packing means surrounding said bolt between the junctures of said sections.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a plurality of sections of buoyant material, Water-proofing means isolating said sections, water-proofing means covering the outside of said sections, hard wood disks at either end of the sections, and a bolt for uniting the entire organization.

4. In a device of the character described, in combination, a plurality of buoyant sections, a plurality of disks of relatively hard material at each end of said sections, said disks and said sections being each separated from the other by water-proofing means, an outer water-proong covering for said sections and wires for securing said covering to certain of the disks.

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, a plurality of buoyant elements, a plurality of disks of relatively hard material at either end of such sections, Waterproofing means between said disks and said sections, outer annular grooves in certain of said disks, wire cooperating with said grooves for securing said outer water-proofing covering, means for securing said disks `and -sections together, an asbestos waterproofing packing surrounding said securing means at the j unctures of said disks and sections, and attaching means for the device secured by said securing means.

6. In a device of the character described, in combination, a multiple of buoyant sections placed side by side, hard wood disks at either end of the sections, a bolt passing through said sections and said disks for uniting them to form a buoy, Water-proong means separating said sections and said disks, and a water-proofing covering for said buoy secured at either end to said hard wood disks, said disks being formed of a plu` rality of parts.

Signed at Washington, District of Columbia, this 18th day of April, 1918.

WILLIAM ANGUS CORLEY.

Gomes of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

